A Seattle City Park Helped Build My Six-Figure Business

It was a period of homelessness that changed my life for the best.

I never imagined that I’d end up here. How did a top of his class, college educated, former athlete ended up to be a failure? Well, I was that failure.

It’s hard to say what exactly led to my being here. Maybe it was the end of my first serious relationship. Maybe it was the completion of a contract that had me doing work better than a dream or maybe it was the never-ending fear that I’d lose it all.

I was homeless in the middle of winter in Seattle and desperate for an answer.

It couldn’t be any answer, though. It had to be a real solution. I had already tried the bandages of temporary holiday jobs and all the oddball jobs that most of us take to make ends meet. It is those kind of jobs that don’t inspire or motivate us.

I couldn’t handle being a zombie. I couldn’t build anyone else’s dream and sacrifice my own. In my refusal to take a 9-5 job, I was also stuck. My college education had not prepared for this challenge.

I knew how to clock in and out, and follow orders, but I didn’t want to do that anymore.

I spent my savings trying to find answers and found a dark bottom that burned my hope.

Now, while sleeping in the park, I had to try anything. My options were limited – sleep in the cold or find a way out.

I turned to the internet. Search engine searches like, “Make money fast” got me practically nowhere. Although, it was through my searches that I learned about the potential in blogging, podcasting, and digital products. Each day, I woke up with a glimmer of hope that the internet could help me.

Without any online presence, I started a podcast. I wrote hundreds of emails. Despite no initial responses, I persevered because it was either that or let my dreams die.

Then, on one day, Dr. Harville Hendrix responded and agreed to come on my non-existent podcast. I continued to write to a slew of other well-known experts, including New York Times best-selling author, millionaires, and YouTube stars. After trial and error, I found a way to get many of them on my show.

After lots of hard work and perseverance, I was able to build a successful 6 figure business.

As a child, I was born into extreme poverty.

For most of my life, I feared not having enough. Eventually, my fear landed me in a sleeping bag in the middle of winter at a local park in Seattle.

When I barely had anything, the one thing I had was my thoughts, focus, and the energy to build a new vision and reality. I remembered the day I woke up with a headache. I felt ashamed because a man saw me waking up and slowly rising from the park bench. It was that day that I knew I couldn’t live like that anymore.

I made one simple decision to start to dream about a better life by entertaining new possibilities. I brushed my teeth in the park bathroom, cleaned up a bit, and decided to dedicate an hour each day to reading and listening inspiring and motivational content.

It was clear that I had certain advantages as well as certain disadvantages. When I look back at the keys to turning it all around, I point back to focus and thoughts. I chose to think new thoughts and that got me new results.

A lot of us get star struck with someone’s fame and think they’re somehow different. After doing over 300 interviews with some of the world’s most well-known influencers, I’ve learned that every single person operates very similarly. All of us, despite our success, have dreams, hopes, desires, and love being noticed. Our existence endows us with a deep inherited value. Regardless of who are you or where you’re at in life, never forget that you matter.

When I write guests to appear on my independently hosted podcast, I speak to them as if they’re someone I know. I relate to them. I write to every single potential guest as someone I admire and appreciate as a human being. As a result, I’ve been able to interview Jack Canfield, Marianne Williamson, Dave Asprey, and a slew of popular influencers.

It’s not hard to be an expert. In the world of business, everyone trusts an expert more than a novice. Becoming an expert in the eyes of most people is just a matter of being able to talk about a subject more than the average person. If you can talk about something for a few hours, you’re an expert. If you can talk about it with other experts, then you’re truly an expert.

By spending hundreds of hours speaking with the world’s thought leaders, I’ve been acknowledged as an expert in a wide variety of subjects. I’ve helped people create top ranking podcasts, and add hundreds of thousands of dollars to their business. I’ve been able to realize that my clients may be smarter than me, but I am still considered an expert as I can talk about certain subjects more than the general population.

Before you doubt yourself, remember this lesson. If you look closely, you’d realize you’re smarter than you even know. Start somewhere and then take it step-by-step.

You don’t know all the answers. In fact, trying to have it ‘all figured out’ is what keeps most people stuck from getting anywhere. Once I decided to just write people to come on my podcast, things changed. When Dr. Harville Hendrix agreed to come on my podcast, I had to figure out how to record a podcast. No matter your level of expertise, you will have to ‘wing it’ from time to time.

Life is like that at times. It comes at you and you have to figure out what you’ll do afterwards. I remember reading a study once about the most common traits among top level CEOs. This one trait was based on something that help them make very big decisions in under eight minutes. I found it fascinating since some of these decisions were multi-million dollar decisions. Despite not having all the answers, they went with their gut. For them, it started with one step first and taking the next step afterward.

When I had a dream to start an online business, I didn’t know what I was bringing onto myself. I just had a vision, a few online blogs, and courage to start by setting up my first WordPress site.

If you’re ever stuck moving forward, forget about having it all figured out. Just pull the trigger and start somewhere. This mentality took from a park into an apartment. It has led me here today to share with you the most powerful lessons I’ve learned from being broke, depressed, and homeless.